The good guys won last night.
I didn’t really have a rooting interest in the College Football Playoff national championship game this year (at least not after my Tulane Green Wave were quickly eliminated from the playoffs), but like pretty much everybody else in the country I found it hard not to cheer for Indiana to win last night.
They came into the season as the losingest college football program in history, even after their Cinderella run last year that saw the Hoosiers make the playoffs under first year head coach Curt Cignetti.
But this year they proved that their turnaround last year wasn’t a fluke. Indiana not only went undefeated in the regular season, but they also went out and beat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship to secure the #1 seed in the playoffs and just dominated everybody in their way en route to their first appearance in the national championship game.
Then last night, Cignetti proved why Indiana was right to make him one of the highest paid coaches in the country, and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza proved why he was the Heisman Trophy winner, when the Hoosiers took down the Miami Hurricanes after one of the most incredible touchdown runs from Mendoza that you’ll ever see to seal the victory.
I mean, that’s a touchdown that’s going to be replayed for decades to come. Just an insanely gritty run from the quarterback, and one that may have eliminated any remaining doubt that Mendoza is going to be the #1 pick in the NFL Draft this year.
On the other side though, you had the heartbreak for the Miami Hurricanes.
It almost seemed like destiny for Miami this year: You had a hometown coach in Mario Cristobal leading his alma mater to the national championship game IN Miami, after having to hold their breath to find out whether they would even be in the playoffs at all. (I think at the very least we can safely say the committee made the right decision putting Miami in over Notre Dame).
Unfortunately though, it wasn’t meant to be. The Hurricanes were down by 6 with about a minute left in the game, and appeared to be moving the ball down the field for the touchdown that would win them the national championship. But with just 51 seconds left, quarterback Carson Beck threw an interception that ended the game and broke the hearts of the Hurricanes, while also delivering one of the most incredible storylines in college football history.
Naturally it was a heartbreaking loss for Miami players, especially for Carson Beck: The quarterback had spent 5 years at Georgia, winning two national championships during his time in Athens as the backup to Stetson Bennett. But Beck had never been able to lead his team to a title himself, and last night was the sixth-year quarterback’s final shot at winning it all as a starter.
There’s no doubt that Beck was hurting after throwing the interception that sealed the loss. But his reaction in defeat didn’t really win him any fans.
As soon as time expired, Beck walked off the field quickly without shaking hands with Mendoza or anyone on the Indiana sideline.
And after cameras caught his quick exit, the internet quickly blasted the “classless” move from the 23-year old quarterback.
Not a great look.
While Beck headed to the locker room, his teammate and star Miami running back Mark Fletcher reportedly came back out of the locker room to congratulate Mendoza:
(Although he also threw hands with one Indiana player after apparently exchanging words at some point).
Overall, last night was one of the better national championship games we’ve seen in a while, and the storylines coming out of this college football season made it one of the more interesting seasons in recent memory. (I mean, nobody really wanted to see a “Georgia wins the national championship for the first time in…3 years” headline, right?)
It’s disappointing to see the lack of sportsmanship from Beck, but Fernando Mendoza and Indiana likely don’t care all that much right now – after completing one of the greatest turnarounds and coolest stories in college football history.
